Candlestick c. 1936

Florence Stevenson made this watercolor and graphite drawing of a candlestick. Stevenson was associated with the Index of American Design, a New Deal project under the Works Progress Administration, or WPA. During the Great Depression, artists were put to work documenting American material culture. They produced thousands of images of furniture, textiles, and decorative arts. This drawing embodies the spirit of the movement. The candlestick itself, with its leaf motif, hints at the American Arts and Crafts movement, which valued handcrafted objects and drew inspiration from nature. Consider the broader context: a nation grappling with economic hardship sought to define its cultural identity through its everyday objects. Projects such as the IAD sought to democratize art by documenting vernacular designs. To truly appreciate this work, one might delve into WPA archives, period magazines, and design catalogs. It is through the lens of history that we can understand the candlestick, not just as an object, but as a symbol of a nation’s creative resilience.